A Little Entertainment, Please
by Cocacoriola
Summary: JP/LE - Lily is looking for some entertainment in her life, and manages to find it with James. One-shot about how they could have gotten together.


**A/N: Alright, so I know I do a lot of one-shots... But this idea came to mind after I finished reading A Marauder's Party. So I guess you could say I was inspired by it. But don't go accusing me of stealing her ideas or anything. Anyways, here it goes. **

**Please note: I know this story does not belong in the Harriet section, I'm trying to work around the stupid error right now, and it won't be there long. 20-30 minutes tops. So please don't let me a review saying it's in the wrong place. **

**A Little Entertainment, Please**

For the past six and a half years, Lily Rose Evans had been attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If you asked anyone, they would all say the same thing. "Lily Evans? Oh, she's such a nice girl!" If they were teachers, they would go on to tell you about how punctual, participative, intelligent and she was, and how they'd never seen such a hard worker before. Students would tell about times she 'rescued' them from school bullies, usually James Potter. You would find that a lot of people would describe how pretty they found Lily, and how outgoing she was.

Anyone would enjoy this image. Revel in it, even. Loved by all, good looking, smart, and clearly on her way to a great future. But Lily Evans was tired of the way people saw her. She was sick of her life as Miss Goody Two Shoes. Lily Evans was bored. And she was looking for a little entertainment. You would think, that at a school of magic something of that sort wouldn't be hard to find. But in all reality, the fun avoided her. Because the kind of fun she now hoped to find was the kind that she would bust in the past.

On a Tuesday afternoon in late March, Lily Evans lounged on the couch in the Head's Common Room, staring up at the ceiling. She was unbelievably bored and nothing she did seemed to cure her. Her fiery red hair fanned out behind her and her green eyes were slightly glazed from staring at absolutely nothing. What was there to do? She was so tired of class and homework and patrolling the corridors. She was tired of doing nothing with her friends but studying. She was tired of being single, hoping to find Mr. Perfect when she left the doors of Hogwarts. She was tired of _everything_. And that was about to change.

It was a free period, and it was coming to an end. Her next class was Transfiguration, her worst subject. She absolutely did not want to go. The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. Sighing loudly, Lily sat up and grabbed her bag. She dragged herself to the Transfiguration classroom and dropped heavily into the seat beside her best friend, Alice Marshall. The dark-haired girl eyed her warily. "Are you alright?"

"No." Lily didn't elaborate, and Alice didn't press her. She was worried about Lily, but was afraid of the redhead's newfound temper. Most of the class was already there, and as the last few students trickled in, Professor McGonagall began the class. Lily tuned her out immediately and stared down at the worn, wooden desk.

"Miss Evans!" McGonagall snapped. "Pay attention." Lily looked up dazedly. The Gryffindor Head was giving her a stern look. Something inside Lily seemed to snap. She gathered her books in her arms, slung her back over one shoulder, and stood up. McGongall looked startled as the Head Girl turned to leave. "Where are you going, Evans?"

"To find some entertainment."

* * *

As it turned out, Lily simply returned to lying on the couch of the Head's Common Room. Her next class was Herbology, but she decided not to go to that either. She just wasn't in the mood. A few minutes after Transfiguration had ended, James Potter, resident Head Boy and the bane of Lily's existence, burst into the room.

"That was brilliant!" he exclaimed. "But what were you thinking?"

"I got bored," Lily said blankly.

"You got bored... So you just walked out of Transfiguration? McGonagall is going to murder you," James told her.

"Big deal." Lily sat up, shrugging. She got up off the couch, pushed past James, and went out into the hall. If she didn't find something to do, soon, she was going to rip her hair out. And then she got an idea. If she was half as smart as everyone said she was, Lily would have no trouble finding him. Sure enough, after rounding a few corners and descending a staircase, she came up Sirius Black and a fourth year in an abandoned corridor.

"Black," Lily said, startling the couple. The fourth year turned bright red and dashed off, hiding her face.

"Thanks a lot, Evans," Sirius said sourly. "I was enjoying that."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I need your help."

"With what?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

"I want Firewhiskey."

Sirius' jaw dropped. "Firewhiskey? What would our lovely Head Girl want with a bottle of Firewhiskey?"

"I want to drink it, stupid," Lily retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And what's in it for me, might I ask?"

Lily hesitated a moment. She'd had the feeling Sirius wouldn't give her a bottle of his Firewhiskey without some sort of price. "A Galleon."

"That's all?" Sirius asked. "You're going to have to do better than that for some of my precious stash."

"I'll get Alice to kiss you," she said, not at all certain it would ever happen. But Sirius perked up at the promise. Alice was one of the few girls in their year Sirius had not yet managed to kiss. Lily had never been bothered by him, because she was 'off-limits'. She was James' girl. In their eyes, anyways.

"You've got yourself a deal, Lily Evans. Follow me," he said, motioning his hand to her. She followed him to the seventh floor tapestry, where he paced three times.

"You keep your stash in the Room of Requirement?" Lily asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well...," Sirius said, a mischevious smile on his face. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean, 'not exactly'?" she demanded.

"See, that would be much to easy for someone to bust me for. Instead, I have a room with a door that leads to the basement of The Three Broomsticks. They've got so much stuff stored down there, they don't miss a bottle or two every once in a while," Sirius said.

Lily stared at him, dumbfounded. "That's... Really smart."

"Thanks," Sirius said, giving her a grin. They entered, and Sirius went over to a little trapdoor on the left wall. He opened it, pulled out his wand, and pointed it into the hole. "Accio Firewhiskey!" he said. For a minute or two, nothing happened. And then, two bottles of Firewhiskey shot out and landed in his waiting hands. "Your drink, milady."

"That's creepy. Don't call me that," Lily said, taking the bottle from his hand. She looked down at it, suddenly a little wary. But she cleared her mind of all thoughts that would stop her, pulled the lid off, and took a long drink. The Firewhiskey was properly named, because the moment it touched her tongue, her mouth was on fire. It slid down her throat, which also felt as though flames licked at it. However, the sensation was almost pleasant. She took another long drink, and the pain died down to be replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling. "This is great," she told Sirius, her words slightly slurred.

"Two mouthfuls and you're already drunk," Sirius said, his bottle already half empty. He was only slightly giddy.

Lily knew it would be a _really_ bad idea to get totally drunk, so she only took a few more mouthfuls from the bottle. Even after having drunk only a quarter of the bottle's contents, she felt drunk. Nothing compared to what she would have felt had she had all of it, but it was bad enough. "Here," she told Sirius, crossing over to him to hand him her bottle. Being drunk didn't agree with her, and she tripped over her own feet. She crashed into Sirius and sent them toppling to the ground. "Sorry," Lily groaned. She struggled to her feet, and helped Sirius up as best as she could.

"I'm never giving you Firewhiskey again," he promised, rubbing his back, a pained expression on his face.

"Sorry," Lily apologized again, stumbling a little.

"Alright, before you go," Sirius said, "Tell me how you're going to get Alice to kiss me."

Lily clapped a hand to her forehead, remembering the stupid promise she'd made Sirius to get the Firewhiskey. "I'll figure something out," she said. "And if I don't..."

"If you don't," Sirius said, "I have something much worse planned for you."

"I'll figure it out," she squeaked. Before he could threaten her anymore, Lily ran from the Room of Requirement as best as she could. She returned to the Head's Common Room and hurried into her room. The warm, fuzzy feeling was still with her, and she was starting to feel sleepy. She changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and crawled into her bed, falling asleep within minutes.

"Evans?" She woke a while later to the sound of James Potter. She blinked her eyes open and saw him poking his head in her door.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

"Are you okay? Are you sick?"

"Just tired. Go away, I'm trying to sleep."

"But dinner-"

"Go away!" she snapped, laying back down. James shut her door quietly and didn't bother her for the rest of the evening. When she woke up the next morning, she had a pounding headache. It hurt to move, and she wished she could just go back to sleep. But unfortunately, she wasn't tired anymore. Lily cursed herself for forgetting that drinking led to painful consequences. Lily dragged herself out of bed, changed into a pair of jeans, and went to the Hospital Wing.

The nurse, never suspicious of Lily, was afraid she might be developing the flu. She gave Lily a drink that cleared her headache away almost instantly. "Thank you!" Lily told her gratefully.

The nurse smiled. "If you start to feel bad again, come right back."

"I will," Lily promised. She was glad that it was Saturday and she was glad that she didn't have to worry about skipping any classes. She may be feeling restless and rebellious now, but later she'd really be regretting how many classes she'd ditched. Instead of returning to her room, she went downstairs to the Great Hall to have breakfast. Alice was there, eating with her other best friend, Frank Longbottom. She slid onto the bench beside Alice and put fried eggs, bacon, and toast on her plate.

"What happened to you yesterday?" Alice demanded, turning in her seat to glare at Lily.

"Sirius and I had a Firewhiskey party," Lily said nonchalantly.

"Sirius _Black_?" Alice asked. "Firewhiskey?"

"Yes, Sirius Black and Firewhiskey."

"You have officially lost your mind," Alice said, looking disgusted. "What's gotten into you so suddenly?"

Lily shrugged. "I'm sick of being little miss perfect every day. It was time for a change." She scooped a mouthful of fried eggs into her mouth, and Alice turned back to Frank. They exchanged a long look, but didn't say anything else to Lily about her odd behavior. They finished eating before Lily, and left as soon as they were done. When Lily finished off her eggs and bacon, she decided it was time to find the day's entertainment. As she was leaving the Great Hall, James, Sirius, and Remus were entering. She caught Sirius' arm and whispered, "Put together a party in the Room of Requirement, for tonight. I'll get Alice to kiss you there. But make sure it's _big_."

"No problem," Sirius breathed back. Lily was on her way before he could say any more.

* * *

Sirius came through, and by eight o'clock that night, the Room of Requirement was filled with students. Somehow, Lily had managed to convince Alice to come. Alice had agreed on the condition that she could bring Frank along. Lily had reluctantly allowed it, and now the three of them were standing just inside the Room of Requirement. A group of students stood in one corner, forming a rock band. Everyone else was milling around, holding paper cups full of juices and sodas. A long table was pushed against the wall, covered in paper cups, all with a different type of drink.

Another table, against the other wall, was much longer and held all sorts of snacks, from chips to finger sandwiches. On another wall were three solid oak doors, the sight of which made Lily grin. So Sirius had been on the same track as her. Heading over to the doors, Lily whistled sharply to get everyone's attention. "Alright, people, listen up! We're going to play a little game."

"Seven Minutes in Heaven?" a girl asked hopefully.

"Of course," Lily said, grinning. Alice's eyes were daggers, but Lily ignored them. Most of the part people swarmed around her, and Sirius did the favor of handing everyone a paper with a number. She knew it was rigged, in some way, so that he and Alice would end up together in one of the closets. Sirius handed her a number, and she glanced at it. 6. She tossed the paper to the floor, a new plan forming in her mind. She was about to get some real entertainment.

The first three couples entered the closet, one excited, and the other two looking nervous. When seven minutes had passed, Sirius pounded on their doors. "4, 5, and 6!" he announced. Couples 4 and 5 paired up, and a scruffy looking blond boy came over to me. "6?"

"Yeah," she replied, "But there's been a change of plans." She side-stepped him. "James," she practically sang. He looked up from his conversation with Remus, surprised. He was still wearing his school uniform. Lily gave him a smile, grabbed his tie, and pulled him to the closet. He went all too willingly, and the rest of the party-goers watching with open mouths.

Lily shut the door, and darkness enveloped them. "I'm not sure this is how the game is suppose to work," James said.

"I don't really care," she replied, his tie still clutched in her hand.

"I thought you hated me?" he asked, his voice husky.

"I've always found you attractive," Lily said, "But then you open your mouth and I remember how obnoxious you are."

"So why are we here?"

"Because. I'm looking for some excitement," she whispered.

"I think you found it."

Their conversation ended there, having started their seven minutes. The moment James' lips met hers, Lily felt more alive than she remembered feeling in a long time. She released his tie and wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands toying with his messy black hair. He put his hands on her waist, her upper arms, the small of her back to bring her closer.

Lily's hands left his hair to slide under his shirt. His chest was flat, firm, and hot. Lily broke the kiss, breathing heavily. "God had done his best to make you irresistible, hasn't he?"

She could practically see his grin in the darkness. "Glad it's finally working. _Your _good looks have been driving me crazy since we were eleven, but I guess it just took me longer to grow into it."

"You've always been fit," Lily promised, "It's just hard to concentrate on that when every word that comes out of your mouth makes me want to scream."

"Let's stop talking, then," James replied, leaning down for more. A few minutes later, he whispered, "I think our seven minutes are up." Seconds later, Sirius was pounding on the door.

"I'm not quite finished," Lily said.

"We could always continue this later," James suggested quietly.

"If you're lucky," she informed him, pushing the door open and leaving the closet. James watched her go for a moment, before exiting the closet himself. A few rounds after them, Sirius and Alice's number was called. The look on Alice's face when she realized that Sirius was her 'partner' was absolutely priceless to Lily. The redhead was worried for a moment that her friend wouldn't go through with it, but Alice wasn't one to let people call her a chicken. She didn't back out of anything. So she disappeared into the closet with Sirius Black. Seven minutes later, they came out, Sirius grinning widely, Alice with slightly disheveled hair.

Alice hurried to Frank's side, grabbed his arm, and pulled him through the crowd, determined to get as far away from the party as she could. Lily watched Sirius join James and Remus and announce, "Number 27."

"Congrats, Padfoot," Remus said sarcastically.

Since her make-out session with James was over, Lily decided to take her leave from the party as well. There wasn't much excitement here anymore. As she was leaving, a brunette boy who's hair flopped into his face caught her arm. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," Lily responded, looking down at his hand on her arm.

"Would you be into our own private game?" he asked, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to where Sirius was calling numbers still.

Lily didn't even hesitate. "Sure," she said, smiling. Her night was getting more exciting that she expected it to. And she was loving it. She followed the boy out of the Room of Requirement.

Lily returned to the common room before James did that night, and she didn't feel like waiting up for him, so she crawled into bed. She tossed and turned for a while, but was asleep before James returned from the party. Despite him coming in at a later hour, James was awake before Lily that morning, and before breakfast had started.

While he was working on his Transfiguration homework, Lily came out into the common room. James looked him, and his jaw dropped. "Lily-"

"Like it?" she asked, a sly smile on her face. Her red hair was pulling into a high pony tail, but a few strands had already escaped and fell into her face. There was very little makeup on her face, just a bit of lipstick. James appreciated that. But what she was wearing made him _very_ nervous. A jean skirt that barely covered her underwear was paired with a green tank top that had a plunging neckline. It wasn't doing a very good job as a shirt.

"What are you wearing?" James asked incredulously.

"Clothes," was her reply.

James stared at the ground. "Why are you wearing that? You never dress like that."

"I decided it was time for a change."

James looked up to meet her emerald gaze. "Why do you want to change, Lily?" he asked. "You're perfect the way you are."

"No I'm not!" Lily snapped. "I hate who I am."

"Why? You're such a sweet person, you're smart, and you've always been so level-headed," James said gently. "And I think you're the most beautiful girl at Hogwarts."

"That's not who I want to be!" Lily exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sick of being the perfect girl! I'm sick of everyone expecting so much of me, and being so smart and nice all the time."

"I didn't know that."

"No one does," she sniffed.

"Why didn't you tell Alice?" James asked.

"She wouldn't understand," Lily said. "No one understands."

"I can try."

Tears had been rolling down her cheeks before, but for some reason James' words brought Lily to an all-out sob. He went to put his arms around her, and she fell into him, her shoulders shaking. James took her to the couch, and let her cry. Finally, she seemed to run out of tears, and she sat up, wiping her eyes. They were red and puffy, and her cheeks were sticky with excess tears.

"So why do you hate yourself so much?"

"I don't know," Lily said quietly. "I just felt like I was going to explode before... And now I don't."

"You feel better?"

"I think so, yeah," Lily admitted. "Did you mean that?"

"Mean what?" James was relieved that she'd stopped crying that he wasn't sure what he was referring to.

"That you think I'm pretty," she mumbled.

"I don't think that's what I said," James said. "I believe the word I used was 'beautiful', and of course I meant it. Why would I say it if I didn't?"

"Because boys are idiots sometimes."

"I never say anything I don't mean," he promised. He bent down to kiss her, softer and sweeter than their exchange the night before.

"Well, well!" a voice exclaimed. "What have we here?"

James looked around, annoyed. Sirius stood grinning in the doorway. "Looks like a couple of lovebirds," he continued.

"Shut up, Sirius."

Lily stood up quickly, embarrassed. Sirius took one look and his eyes widened with shock. "Whoa, Evans! I didn't know you even knew clothes like that existed, let alone _owned_ them."

Lily, who seemed to have forgotten what she'd put on, looked down. She yelped and dashed for her room. James rounded on Sirius. "Thanks a lot, Padfoot," he growled. "Everything was going fine until you interrupted."

"Judging by what she was wearing, it was definitely going _fine_."

James rolled his eyes. "You know I'd never."

"No, but I would." He raised his eyebrows.

"Don't even think about it."

"Don't worry," he said, raising his hands in defeat. "I know, I know, she's all yours."

"Right," James said. "Now, get out."

"A bloke comes to see his best mate so they can go get breakfast together, and what happens? His best mate kicks him out for a girl. What has the world come to?" Sirius asked dramatically.

"I'll see you later. Now leave!"

"I'm going, I'm going," Sirius said, pushing the portrait open and going off to find Remus or one of his many fan girls.

"Is he gone?" Lily asked from behind her door.

"He's gone," James replied.

The door opened and Lily came out, now dressed in sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt. She let out a long sigh. "I'm feeling oddly calm. Thanks, James."

"No problem," he said, smiling.

"You're not as bad as I always thought you were," she continued, "So I figured maybe I could give you a chance."

"You mean you'll go out with me?"

"Maybe..."

"You'll be the death of me, Lily Evans," James groaned.

"As long as I'm the only one," she responded. "And provided you entertain me."

"That won't be hard," he promised, a grin on his face again. "We can start now if you want."

"How about we start with breakfast?" Lily took his hand and leaned into him.

"Breakfast is good." He squeezed her hand, and they made their way down to the Great Hall, where a shocked school would be waiting for them.

**A/N: I reworked the ending about three times, and this is the one I'm happiest with, so it's what you're getting. I really hope you liked this story! I enjoyed writing it. Some reviews would be great. One word reviews are fine. Multiple words are great. But I'll take whatever you're willing to get. :)**

**Love,**

**This Author Person-Face**


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